CIA chief confirms seven officers killed by Afghan bomb

Mr Panetta paid tribute to the dead and pledged to continue their fight

Seven CIA agents were killed in a bomb attack in Afghanistan, the US agency's director, Leon Panetta, has confirmed.

The dead include a mother of three who was the head of the CIA's base in Khost Province, near Pakistan, the Associated Press (AP) news agency reports.

The Taliban said one of their members wearing an explosive vest and an army uniform had carried out the attack.

US President Barack Obama has sent a message of condolence to the agency's staff praising the dead agents.

The attack was the worst against US intelligence officials since the US embassy in Beirut was bombed in 1983.

It has raised questions about the coalition's ability to protect itself against infiltrators, analysts say.

Quoting a former senior CIA official, AP said the base chief would have led intelligence-gathering operations in Khost, a hotbed of Taliban activity because of its proximity to Pakistan's lawless border region.

The unnamed official added that the bomber was being courted as an informant and was not frisked as he entered the base.

A total of 90 CIA employees have been honoured for their deaths in the agency's service since its inception in 1947, according to the Washington Post newspaper.

'Close to the enemy'

Paying tribute to the dead, Mr Panetta said six other agents had been injured in Wednesday's attack at Forward Operating Base Chapman.

ANALYSIS

Adam Brookes, BBC Washington correspondent

The circumstances surrounding the attack which killed seven CIA operatives at FOB Chapman, are not yet clear. However, a credible report in Washington says hat the bomber was not searched as he made his way onto the base. According to the report, he was part of an intelligence gathering operation, and was invited onto the base for a meeting with a senior CIA officer.

The attack is a very serious blow to the CIA. A great deal of experience and intelligence tradecraft will have been lost. It is unlikely however, that the attack will have placed a major obstacle to CIA operations in Afghanistan. Those operations take place on a very large scale and involve hundreds, even thousands of people.

We can anticipate that CIA officers are involved in penetrating Taliban and other insurgent networks, locating insurgent leaders for targeting and providing operational intelligence to the military.

"Those who fell yesterday were far from home and close to the enemy, doing the hard work that must be done to protect our country from terrorism," he said.

"We owe them our deepest gratitude, and we pledge to them and their families that we will never cease fighting for the cause to which they dedicated their lives - a safer America."

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid told the BBC the Khost bomber was wearing an army uniform when he managed to breach security at the base, detonating his explosives belt in the gym.

Mr Obama said those killed were "part of a long line of patriots who have made great sacrifices for their fellow citizens, and for our way of life".

He told CIA employees that they had "taken great risks to protect our country" and that their sacrifices had "sometimes been unknown to your fellow citizens, your friends, and even your families".

'Real danger'

Earlier reports said eight CIA agents had been killed by the blast.

Neither the names of the CIA officials killed nor the details of their work were released because of the sensitivity of US operations, the agency said in a statement.

"Yesterday's tragedy reminds us that the men and women of the CIA put their lives at risk every day to protect this nation," said Mr Panetta.

"Throughout our history, the reality is that those who make a real difference often face real danger."

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